Students live in a globe, technology-rich environment today. They need access to digital tools and media-rich resources which promote exploration, understanding, and communication in the 21st Century learning environment. Educators need to learn more about these tools and resources that they can share and use comfortably with their students and peers. Technology is an important support tool for all teachers which provides learning enrichment opportunities for students in the classroom.
There are many free resources available online for teachers to use in the classroom. Some of these resources may require your joining and creating an account with a user name and password. Once that is completed, you will be able to access, share, collaborate. It is important that you are comfortable with these resources yourself before introducing them to the students in your classroom. So, you will want to create a free account and allow yourself some time to try the online tool yourself.
Below are some questions to ask yourself when considering using an online tool in the classroom:
1. Do I have access to this site from school? If not, go talk to your technology coordinator and provide him/her with the URL of the siteand the purpose of its use in your classroom.
2. How can I use this site in my classroom? Do you have one computer in your classroom or are you able to use a computer lab for allstudents to access this site?
3. Do these sites offer students the opportunity to be engaged with technology? Are students able to explore and be active learnersin your classroom?
4. For CSCOPE districts, would this site offer opportunities for Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation?
Online Web Resources
Animoto -- create video slideshows for your classroom projects Bubbl.us -- brainstorm online Delicious -- keep your bookmarks in one place Epals -- connect K-12 learners Fur.ly -- shorten multiple URLs into one Glogster -- create interactive posters, great for school projects Google Docs -- create and share online --Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Drawings, Forms Jing -- screen capture tool Khan Academy -- videos for various curriculum areas Keepvid -- site for downloading free videos Mixbook -- create photo books online (Mixbook for Educators) Museum Box -- virtual box for display Prezi -- create amazing presentations online Storybird -- create a story to share Storyjumper -- create your own stories online Tagxedo -- word clouds in different shapes Voki -- create your own avatar with audio Wallwisher -- share ideas online Wikispaces -- collaborate and share online Wordle -- create word clouds from text Zamzar -- free file converter
Free Web Resources for the Classroom
Students live in a globe, technology-rich environment today. They need access to digital tools and media-rich resources which promote exploration, understanding, and communication in the 21st Century learning environment. Educators need to learn more about these tools and resources that they can share and use comfortably with their students and peers. Technology is an important support tool for all teachers which provides learning enrichment opportunities for students in the classroom.There are many free resources available online for teachers to use in the classroom. Some of these resources may require your joining and creating an account with a user name and password. Once that is completed, you will be able to access, share, collaborate. It is important that you are comfortable with these resources yourself before introducing them to the students in your classroom. So, you will want to create a free account and allow yourself some time to try the online tool yourself.
Below are some questions to ask yourself when considering using an online tool in the classroom:
1. Do I have access to this site from school? If not, go talk to your technology coordinator and provide him/her with the URL of the site and the purpose of its use in your classroom.
2. How can I use this site in my classroom? Do you have one computer in your classroom or are you able to use a computer lab for all students to access this site?
3. Do these sites offer students the opportunity to be engaged with technology? Are students able to explore and be active learners in your classroom?
4. For CSCOPE districts, would this site offer opportunities for Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation?
Online Web Resources
Animoto -- create video slideshows for your classroom projectsBubbl.us -- brainstorm online
Delicious -- keep your bookmarks in one place
Epals -- connect K-12 learners
Fur.ly -- shorten multiple URLs into one
Glogster -- create interactive posters, great for school projects
Google Docs -- create and share online --Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Drawings, Forms
Jing -- screen capture tool
Khan Academy -- videos for various curriculum areas
Keepvid -- site for downloading free videos
Mixbook -- create photo books online (Mixbook for Educators)
Museum Box -- virtual box for display
Prezi -- create amazing presentations online
Storybird -- create a story to share
Storyjumper -- create your own stories online
Tagxedo -- word clouds in different shapes
Voki -- create your own avatar with audio
Wallwisher -- share ideas online
Wikispaces -- collaborate and share online
Wordle -- create word clouds from text
Zamzar -- free file converter
Interactive Whiteboard Activities
Connect the Dots -- elementary mathCount Us In -- understanding basic number concepts
Crayola Interactive site -- create and color
Dog and Cat -- online book
eLeaning for Kids -- great interactive site
Elementary grade -- SMART activities
Google Earth -- visit locations anywhere in the world; Google Earth Lessons
Mimio Connect -- online teacher-created resources for the Mimio board
PBS -- interactive whiteboard games
Promethean Planet -- online teacher-created resources for Promethean board
Scholastic -- activities to use with any interactive whiteboard
Science Games for Kids -- science interactive activities
Seven Wonders of the World -- in panoramic view
Sheppard Software -- learning activities
Smart Exchange -- online teacher-created resources for SMART boards
The Jigsaw Puzzle -- create your own jigsaw puzzle
USA Geography -- interactive map games
Video Tutorials
Animoto -- creating a video onlinePhoto Story 3 -- tutorials video on creating a photostory
Best Practices/Shared Lesson Ideas
Best Practices -- Michigan Site
Middle School Technology Integration -- integration ideas
Technology Integration -- Lee's Summit, Missouri (also contains SMART notebook lessons)